Gan Guoyang wished Sabonis good luck, urging him to secure the victory in the match.
Sabonis tightly shook Gan Guoyang’s hand, saying: "Receive some strength from you; make sure to show Team USA something."
"Looking forward to you bringing back the bronze medal."
The two exchanged blessings and hugs, then Sabonis headed to the arena for the bronze medal match.
The immense pressure didn’t overwhelm Sabonis; instead, it enhanced his performance.
Facing the CIS, Sabonis achieved the highest score of this Olympics with 29 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and made 3 blocks.
Helping Lithuania triumph over the CIS, earning the bronze medal in men’s basketball at this Olympics!
To many, a bronze medal might seem insignificant, as only gold medals are esteemed.
However, those truly involved in high-level sports competition know that a bronze medal, third in the world, represents an impressive honor.
Especially for the Lithuanian Men’s Basketball Team, which had to pool together funds and whose country was undergoing turmoil and bankruptcy, a bronze medal’s significance equaled that of a gold medal.
After the match, in Lithuania’s locker room, Sabonis and his teammates celebrated wildly, with champagne sprayed everywhere.
In Lithuania, people celebrated just as fervently, setting off fireworks and waving Lithuanian flags in the square.
For many small countries, football, basketball, are the best ways to uphold their dignity and pride.
After the bronze medal battle concluded, with more than six hours remaining until the gold medal match, the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team was still resting in the Olympic Village, making final preparations.
Lithuanian players didn’t want to wait idly at the sports arena for the gold medal game to end and attend the award ceremony, so they returned to the Olympic Village to celebrate in their dormitory.
Gan Guoyang was in his dorm, meditating with his eyes closed, using visualization training to simulate confronting the Dream Team.
He no longer worried about win or loss; merely playing against the Dream Team excited him greatly, it was immensely interesting.
Ma Jian suddenly burst in, shouting: "Lao Gan! I heard Lithuania is celebrating the bronze medal win, Sabonis is there hosting an arm wrestling challenge! No one can beat him!"
"What! Sabonis is back! Arm wrestling? I’m in!"
Upon hearing about such fun activity, Gan Guoyang couldn’t resist joining.
Thus, he followed Ma Jian, running towards Lithuania’s dormitory.
Sure enough, Lithuania’s dorm was crowded, filled with weightlifters, track athletes, wrestlers from various countries.
The scene was incredibly lively, the air thick with the scent of hormones, stirring excitement.
In the room, Sabonis placed a large table in the center, with a smaller table stacked on top.
He exposed his right arm and was arm wrestling with a robust, white man.
Veins protruded on Sabonis’s forehead; suddenly, he shouted fiercely, exerting strength and pressed the man’s arm down flat.
The crowd erupted in cheers; Sabonis had won against eight opponents in a row! This guy was simply like a Sky God.
Gan Guoyang pushed through the crowd, arriving in front of Sabonis, saying: "Sabonis! Congratulations on winning the bronze medal; let’s compete too!"
Sabonis, who had been smiling, suddenly became solemn upon seeing Gan Guoyang, saying: "Sonny, why... why are you still here? There’s a match tonight!"
Gan Guoyang replied: "The match starts in five or six hours, no rush, let’s compete and celebrate properly."
Sabonis sighed, knowing he wasn’t a match for Ah Gan in terms of strength.
There’s no way around it; given this atmosphere, this situation, he couldn’t back down.
Ultimately, win or lose didn’t matter; it was all about giving people entertainment, showing something.
Thus, the two giants stood in the room’s center, positioning their arms on the table.
Back in high school, Gan Guoyang could win an arm wrestling match against Chamberlain.
His strength was whole-body, every muscle inch, alongside ligaments, skeletal framework, nervous recruitment ability, was historical level.
Though he hadn’t undergone specialized arm wrestling training, Sabonis also was not a professional arm wrestling contestant.
"Exert strength, Sabonis, exert strength!"
When the contest began, Sabonis went all out, yet Gan Guoyang remained unchanged, still urging Sabonis to exert force.
Gan Guoyang’s solid-as-steel wrist firmly clamped onto Sabonis’s hairy large hand, a truly awe-inspiring scene.
Beneath their arms, the table was vibrating, reminiscent of martial arts novels where masters duel with palms, comparing Inner Strength.
The two stalemated for half a minute, Gan Guoyang shook his head slightly, saying: "Sabonis, is this your limit? Now I’ll exert strength!"
After speaking, the equilibrium broke; Gan Guoyang’s arm began pressing downward gradually yet irresistibly, akin to being equipped with a hydraulic system.
Finally, Sabonis surrendered, he wasn’t Ah Gan’s match, but he was happy, embracing tightly.
"Boss, you should go to the match now, I know it’s tough to win, but make sure to give Americans a hard time."
Gan Guoyang left the Lithuanian dormitory surrounded by athletes’ worship and cheers; he even drank a few glasses of champagne, wrapped in the aroma of wine.
After meeting others and arriving at the arena for pre-match preparations, Jiang Xingquan sensed some alcohol smell, frowning, saying: "Lao Gan, did you drink?"
Gan Guoyang answered honestly: "Had a little, Lithuanians were celebrating the bronze medal win; I went there and got pulled into drinking a couple of glasses."
If it were someone else, Jiang Xingquan would surely have raged, but Gan Guoyang had that privilege; let him drink a little.